"I feel like I'm one of the 128 players that are favourites in the draw" - Alexander Zverev keeps his cards close to his chest ahead of US Open

Grand Slam number two is the target for Alexander Zverev as he makes his 11th trip to Flushing Meadows for the US Open. The highest ranked player in the tournament, he was not in the mood about his position as favourite with other rivals lurking in New York.

After losing in the third round last year, Zverev has reached the semi-finals in all Grand Slams played this year, making the final in the last two. He comes to the US Open not in the best form following surprising early exits in Montreal and Cincinnati.

He will be dearly hoping to avoid that again with his main threat Jannik Sinner not competing thanks to a right knee injury. With there question marks surrounding Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, the 29-year-old is in pole position from many tennis fans perspective to go the distance.

In 2020, Zverev reached the final and would storm into a two-set lead against Dominic Thiem. Both players were hunting for a first Grand Slam title, and it would go horribly wrong for the German. Thiem clawed his way back before Zverev attempted to serve it out. He was broken, and Thiem went on to win the title in heartbreaking fashion.

This result is not looked at in the same way as it had been since his Roland Garros run earlier this year where he finally shook off that Grand Slam tag, but it does not change the regrets over that 2020 final. "I still feel like I should have won in 2020. That doesn't change," he said in his press conference. "But no, I think just coming here, especially, no. But in general, of course, there's some lateral satisfaction for me that I've finally won one. I think I've said it a million times."

Now he has won one, it is about winning more. A final run at Wimbledon was halted by Sinner who defended his crown, but another opportunity is starting to form in New York. "But also, you realise one thing: once you win one, you want to win more, and you want to keep going, and you want to play your best tennis every time you're on the tennis court. And I feel like I have done it after the French Open, and then I haven't done it the last two tournaments. But I definitely feel like my game has been coming back, and it's been better and better every practice session that I've had. And I hope I can show my best tennis here again."

With the absence of Sinner, Zverev will go into the tournament as the number one seed, the first to have this prestigious tag without ever being World No.1 before in his career. With Alcaraz coming back to full fitness and questions around Novak Djokovic, this feels like another tournament for the taking.

His number one seed status has protected him from coming up against Alcaraz or Djokovic until the final as he was asked whether any added pressure came with this. "Not really," he confirmed. "I think seedings are nice, and seeding is a great show that you've been playing well. But I think what's the most important thing is whose name is at the end of the draw, and who's still here in two weeks' time. I think that's the main goal for everybody who's in the draw."

He was questioned about his favourite status, something he instantly shrugged off. "I feel like I'm one of the 128 players that are favourites in the draw."

Alcaraz would most likely be the favourite in Sinner's absence, but the fact that he has not played in a singles ATP tournament since the Barcelona Open is a worry with the best of five set format possibly proving to be slightly troublesome.

Zverev himself knows what it is like to come back from a lengthy injury absence. In 2022, he suffered a nasty achilles injury in the semi-finals of the French Open which kept him out of the action for a long period of time.

"I know what you mean, but it's very different because I think it's a different injury," he admitted. "I think the wrist is never easy, for sure. I know that because my brother was also injured in the wrist, and it takes time to come back from a wrist injury."

Whilst his was much harder to come back from hence the severity of the injury, he expected that the seven-time Grand Slam champion would be fine once the rust was shaken off. "I think mine was different because I broke seven ligaments and fractured two bones and had surgery. It took me a year to come back, so it was a bit different. I feel like he's probably at the same, if not better, physical level right now because he probably, in the last four or five months, was doing a lot of things that I couldn't have done because I was not able to walk. I expect him to be maybe a bit rusty in the first or second match, but once he gets through that, I think he's going to be a contender for sure here."

Zverev will take on Lorenzo Sonego in the first round of the US Open 2026 with either Quentin Halys or Facundo Diaz Acosta the possible second round opponents. The tournament will begin on Sunday, 30th August with Zverev kicking off his campaign on the Monday.